


The Long and Winding Road

by Roxyana



Category: Big Bang (Band), EXO (Band), JYJ (Band), Monsta X (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Assassins AU, Eventual relationship between Wonho and Shownu, MULTI-FANDOM STORY, there will be mentions of abuse and depictions of it, this is going to be a long story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-14 21:04:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9203105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roxyana/pseuds/Roxyana
Summary: Summary: Wonho and Hyungwon are brothers born into a happy family. One night on Christmas Eve, their lives are changed forever as their home is engulfed in flames and they lose everything they held dear. Struggling to survive, Wonho does what he must to provide for his little brother, eventually joining an elite clan of assassins. Where will all the events that unfold leave the two brothers and those close to them?





	1. Introduction/Two of Us

Hey guys, so this is my first time writing a fanfic. This is just something I came up with in my mind while I was listening to different songs. I want to make this a story with a soundtrack of sorts. I'm gonna be mentioning a lot of songs that the characters will be listening to or just songs that help set the mood for the scene or chapter altogether. Or they're songs that inspired the scenes. Whether you listen to the music or not doesn't make a difference, it's just a little something I'm adding for the hell of it. There will be links to those songs and some links to photos of the specific way I want the characters to look. Though if you can't see the links in the text it's not a big deal. 

 

It was [Christmas Eve](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gml-nAJGRbY), 2002. A family of four was gathered around the fireplace. [Soohyuk](http://pm1.narvii.com/5916/e0f2f50264b713e5a2cfe3fce35ce0f8f1741266_hq.jpg); a dark haired handsome man with eyes that shone with a rich shade of brown as he looked at his wife and two sons. [Jiyeon](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS10S0jv0lxIBTghTknBWtX9NJ_TQJ_x5_xAIVZjfzaA97cY2Rv), a beautiful woman with long dark hair, and full lips that gently cradled her motherly smile. Their eldest son, Wonho, was nine years old with hair as dark as night, and eyes to match. Yet when the light hits him just right, his eyes were just like his father’s. The youngest son, Hyungwon, was seven years old, with eyes and lips like his mother’s, and a thinner frame like his father.

As the night goes on, the boys fall asleep on the family’s white fur rug in front of their Christmas tree. Wonho sleeps with a smile on his face while he dreams of going on adventures with his dad and brother, and bringing gifts from those adventures back home to his mother. Life couldn’t be better for the boy: his family resided in an upper middle class neighborhood, he and his brother had everything they needed, wanted and more. The bond he had with Hyungwon was damn near unbreakable. While Wonho was not a very sociable or talkative kid, he lit up whenever he saw his little brother. Hyungwon was very sociable, could talk to everyone and make everyone laugh; things Wonho wished he had, but he felt even more protective of his brother for this reason. He didn’t want people taking advantage of Hyungwon’s kindness.

In his dream, his father is fighting a dragon valiantly. Brandishing a sword and fighting back with everything he had, Soohyuk seemed to have the upper hand. Wonho and his brother were hiding behind a pillar and cheering their father on when something caught Wonho’s eye. He saw something wrapping around his father’s ankle loosely—It was the dragon’s tail. Wonho ran out from behind the pillar, “Dad!!!! Dad, watch out!!!” …But he was too late. The dragon snatched their father up and soaked him in a blue fire. Trying to shield himself from the heat of the flames and the image of his father being burned, Wonho held out his hand in front of his face. “Why does it hurt? Isn’t this a dream? Why does my arm feel like it’s really burning?” His thoughts were suddenly shattered by his brother’s screaming, “Big brother! Wake up, please!!! Please, no!!!” Wonho’s eyes flew open. The room was so hot, and bright; it took him a moment to realize the very real fire was inching closer to his left arm. “This can’t be, it’s just a dream!”, he thought. His worst fears suddenly came to fruition when he looked over and saw Hyungwon crying wildly and clinging to his shirt, and the cries of his father upstairs had blended in with the roar of the fire. Wonho had no clue what to do, where could he go? He just grabbed his little brother and held him closely to his chest, “I’m sorry, Hyungwon!”

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm and dragged him to the nearest window. It was his mother, coughing and gasping for air. With a chair, she broke the window, wrapped them in her robe, and looked them both in their wet, sad eyes. “Wonho, listen to me! You and your brother get far away from the house okay?! Go out of this window and run far away! Mommy will be right behind you, I promise...Go!” Wonho rubbed tears from his eyes but they kept returning . “Mom…...!” Before he could say anything else, his mother threw them out of the window and onto the grass of their front yard. He ran back up towards the house with his arm reaching out, cries surrounding him. From himself, from his mother, from his little brother. “Mommy!!!!”, they both yelled. The ceiling collapsed and he could no longer see her.

He stood there for a few more seconds, studying every spark, every lash of heat that hit his face. “No….”, he whispered. “Why…...?” One strong lash hit his face and made him close his eyes. “Go…...!”, his mother’s voice echoed.

=============================================================================================

[His](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zz-JtgkTmXA/VhIxauLtsqI/AAAAAAAADfI/dGNxgs3dCEs/s1600/tumblr_nk7ll6JjIs1u97jseo1_1280.jpg) eyes fluttered open, drowsy with sleep and his dark hair in disarray. He pushed the covers off his face and rubbed his right hand over his left arm and felt the slightly raised skin from the burn given to him by the fire ten years ago. “Ten years ago today…. Merry Christmas to me, I guess.”, he thought to himself. He rolled over and looked at empty twin bed next to his. “[Hyungwon](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6qOn-YIcAE1NRL.jpg) _must be in the kitchen eating his daily bowl of Coco Puffs._ ”

They grew up together in a small orphanage, escaped it together and built a small life of their own. They had a one-bedroom apartment in the middle of the city, and while it was not the fanciest, it was home. [He, and Hyungwon](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1iJukNYBP5M/maxresdefault.jpg) slept on twin beds in the one room. Because he had to grow up rather quickly in order to raise his brother and not have to depend on the often abusive foster system, Wonho became involved in criminal activity in the city’s underground fighting rings. His skills he had picked up growing up on the streets, coupled with self-taught gymnastics and gun-handling helped him toughen up. He went from being in small neighborhood gangs, to robbing local credit unions, to eventually being introduced to the underground scene. He hid these facts from his little brother however; as far as Hyungwon was concerned, Wonho worked in a shipping facility overnight. And although he did work a few daytime shifts at a shipping facility, it was far from his main source of income. It was simply for keeping up appearances.

Hyungwon was in his junior year in high school now, had a 4.0 GPA and played varsity baseball. If there was one thing Wonho could never miss, it was his baseball games. Even when Hyungwon thought he didn’t make it, he was always there even if he had to watch from the parking lot. Wonho made sure that he took school seriously, he did not want his brother to go through all of the crap he’s had to go through just so they can have a somewhat stable life here. “ _Mom and dad would be so proud of you, Hyungwonnie…_ ”, Wonho thought to himself.

He got out of bed, adjusted his boxers and walked up to the mirror in his bathroom. “ _Can’t say they’d be very proud of me though_.”, his fingers lightly traced over the dark bruise on his cheekbone. “ _Fuck you, Jackson. That was a pretty good right hook. But I hope you’re enjoying the headache from that knockout_.”

Most of the time when Wonho got bruises, it was on his body and if it was on his face he could usually hide it pretty well with some basic make-up (which he hid in his side of the closet), a beanie, scarf or a hoodie. But this one was a tough fix. “ _…Maybe he’ll believe that I dropped something on my face working at the warehouse…Yeah that’s the ticket. He’ll totally buy that_.” Wonho was undefeated in the underground fighting scene. He’d been a part of it since he dropped out of high school his Sophomore year, and while he wished he could’ve stayed in school, he refused to let his brother go to school in tattered clothes and on an empty stomach. And finding an actual job at fifteen years old was damn near impossible at the time, especially with the country’s unemployment rates being through the roof, so he jumped at the opportunity when his friend [Jooheon](http://68.media.tumblr.com/0946905501917297ba971e2e6bcd5f7b/tumblr_obzmqtn9vD1vt0cfxo1_500.jpg) mentioned it to him. “ _Where are you anyway, Jooheon? You just disappeared…_ ” There were whispers in the underground that Jooheon’s family was in charge of one of the most powerful crime syndicates in the country; the Azazel Organization. Wonho actually did not know much about Jooheon’s personal life, and out of respect for his friend, never tried to prod into it. Around school, Jooheon was so friendly with everyone and he was very approachable. But sometimes he’d get phone calls from someone named Tabi, and he’d revert to a scared child. Looking around all paranoid, accepting and agreeing with whatever this person on the other line was saying and spend the rest of his day trudging around with his head down and speaking at the level of a whisper. They’d both dropped out at around the same time but Jooheon did him the parting favor of telling him where to make quick sufficient money to provide for his brother, and for that, Jooheon would forever be considered his friend no matter where he was or what family he had.

He got chills and shook his head quickly to push the thoughts of his past out of his head. He brushed his teeth, hopped in the shower, and let the water run down his large tattoo of a black, desolate burned tree that spanned through most of his back. He let the warmth of the water numb his mind.


	2. My Mistakes Were Made For You

He slipped on a pair of pajama pants and walked out of his room into the kitchen where Hyungwon was eating cereal.

“How’d you sleep, Stringbean?”, he tousled Hyungwon’s hair.

“Pretty good! I’m gonna go to[ Zelo’s](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUowN36WoAILiLY.jpg) and play some Overwatch.”, he mumbled as he finished his cereal. He looked up at Wonho and flinched.

“Good! Well let me get dressed really quick and I’ll drop you off.”

“What happened to your face!?” Hyungwon got up and gently inspected his brother’s face.

“Oh you know…working in a warehouse can be dangerous!”

“You have to be careful! That’s a serious bruise! Please ice it.”

Wonho grabbed his brother’s hands and pushed them away from his face, “I’m fine, stringbean. Sometimes people get hurt at work.” “ _Anyway as far as you know, the only job I have is working in that godforsaken warehouse day and night. That’s all you need to know Hyungwonnie.”_

“Well don’t worry! When I become a doctor, you’ll never have to work that shitty job ever again.”

Wonho smiled warmly and tousled Hyungwon’s hair again. “I believe you will do that..... Anyway, let me get a shirt on and I’ll drive you to your friend’s.”

“It’s okay! Zelo said he can give me a ride. He just got his license!”

“Oh…. okay…well…do you need money for anything?”, Wonho asked as he put a frozen bag of peas from the freezer onto his cheek.

“No, sir!”, Hyungwon said with a kind smile. “I’m not a kid anymore, Wonho. I’ve got to go my own way eventually.” He got up and hugged Wonho tightly, “Thank you for always supporting me. I couldn’t have asked for a better big brother. Mom and dad would be proud of you, I know it.”

“ _No, Hyungwon. They wouldn’t be. I’m not half as smart, kind and outgoing as you. I beat the shit out of people for a living. I have never been a good person; a good role model to you…._ ”, he thought to himself.

“…. I miss them…Every day.” Wonho felt tears welling up in his eyes.

“Me too…Me too. But I know they’re smiling down on us. All we can do, is do good by them, and remember them as they were.”

“You’re right,” Wonho let go of his brother and rubbed at his eyes quickly so his brother wouldn’t notice the tears “Just keep doing good in school, graduate with honors and I’ll start saving up to get you a car of your own.”

“Or you can just give me the Mustang!”, Hyungwon flashed an adorable hopeful smile.

Wonho laughed, “Maybe something a little newer and safer than a ’67 Mustang, stringbean.”

Suddenly the doorbell rang and the faint sound of music could be heard on the other side of the door.

“What the hell?”, Wonho said.

Hyungwon rolled his eyes and rubbed his eyes as though he had a headache, “Jackass…” He walked over to the door and flung it open to reveal Zelo blasting [All I Want for Christmas Is You](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiIyqfV4qvRAhUW7WMKHZJuCS8QyCkIHTAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyXQViqx6GMY&usg=AFQjCNH-i3eVVjN5TvRkUbuZyyhoMPpIaA&sig2=b7l_VJQHJfWwzk9_TEaurQ&bvm=bv.142059868,d.cGc) by Mariah Carey on his phone and mouthing the words and pretending to play the piano. Hyungwon playfully smacked him upside the head.

“Ow...Merry Christmas Eve, hyungs!”, Zelo shook off the smack and stepped inside. “You ready to go, Hyung?”

“Stop calling me, hyung! You aren’t even that much younger than me!”, Hyungwon said flatly.

“Oh my bad let me just throw my manners out the window. Fuck manners, who needs ‘em! Nice contouring you’ve got there, Papa Wonho! The purple really brings out your eyes”

“If you weren’t Hyungwon’s best friend I’d give you a matching one. We could be twins.” Zelo patted Wonho on the back in response.

“Yes, I am ready to go.”, Hyungwon grabbed his wallet and walked up to Zelo.

“Zelo, you better drive carefully ok?”, Wonho pointed his finger strictly at the tall boy. “Remember to be aware of your surroundings and- “

“He knows how to drive, Wonho! We’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll text you as soon as we get to his place.” Hyungwon assured him. Wonho nodded his head in agreement and the two tall boys made their way out.

“Don’t worry, Papa Wonho I’ll take good care of your baby bo-!”, Zelo whispered loudly before Hyungwon closed the door behind them to cut him off.

Wonho shook his head with a bright smile, “That kid is a mess”. He started a pot of hot water for tea, sat down and stared ahead.

His spacing out was interrupted by his cellphone ringing in the other room. He quickly got up and went to look for it. “ _Why do I always lose that fucking phone? Where is it?”_ Finally, after what seemed like hours of searching through his disheveled sheets, he found his phone. It’s a phone call from [Seungri](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-clGBzTOppuw/U76qWAUAl3I/AAAAAAAAs1A/mm1m_bikvS4/s1600/bigbang_seungri_scans_015.jpg), the man in charge of the fighting events. “ _Oh god, what does this asshole want?”_ He swiped to answer right before it would’ve forwarded the call to his voicemail.

“Hello?”

“Wonho?”, a playful voice answered.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Are you interested in going to a casino tonight?” Seungri often talked to the fighters in a code that would throw off would-be investigators should anyone’s phone ever be tapped.

“It’s Christmas Eve, Seungri. I want to spend tonight with my fa- “

“A lot of people will be betting on the game tonight. If you go to the casino you’re looking to make a lot of money if you bet on the right team. They’re calling it a sort of…Christmas Eve Extravaganza.”

“….. How much are we talking here?”

“Anywhere from eight hundred to a thousand dollars if you bet on the Wolves” The codename, Wolf, belonged to Wonho.

“Why tonight? You guys never go to the casino on Christmas or Christmas Eve.”

“Well there are supposed to be some special guests tonight. I’ll tell you more about it later.”

“I don’t know, Seungri.”

“Look, you just come in, place your bets and you’ll walk out a richer man. When have you ever lost a bet before? Besides, our guests want to invite you to have drinks too. They’re pretty important businessmen.”

Wonho gulped nervously. Businessmen could mean these men are from sort of gang, or syndicate. It would also explain why the winnings are five times as much as they usually are. And if they’re asking to see him specifically, god only knows what they’d do if he turned them down. For all he knew they probably knew where he lives, who his brother is.

“Okay, Seungri. I’ll meet you at the casino tonight.”

“That’s my boy.”

Wonho gagged a little at that statement and quickly hung up. “ _Who does that asshole think he is? My father? Fuck off. But still, what businessmen could he be talking about? Could it be the Italian Mob? Sinaloa Cartel? Azazel? Someone important enough to twist Seungri’s arm into opening the rings during Christmas Eve/Early Christmas day.”_

His phone buzzed with a text message from his brother.

“Made it to Zelo’s. I’ll be home later tonight! Can’t wait to open the gifts tomorrow! Love ya – Hyungwon”

“ _So much for spending Christmas Eve with you, Stringbean. But I promise I will be here in time to see you open your gift when you wake up in the morning. You’re better off at Zelo’s place tonight anyway. Safer there.”_

His phone buzzed with the notification of a text message that said:

“Be at the casino by midnight. – Seungri”

Wonho set his phone down and proceeded to the closet he and Hyungwon shared. He reached into the bottom of his dirty laundry hamper and pulled out his bloody clothes from last night, along with his sweat stained hand wraps. He had to get this stuff washed off before tonight, so he stuffed whatever clothes he could into the washer and set it to extra rinse. He usually just wore a pair of black sports training pants and some sneakers to his fights. Nothing too fancy, unlike some guys who would show up with expensive boxing shoes and some even show up with brass knuckles. The rules were akin to the rules in the movie Fight Club, which just so happened to be one of Wonho’s favorite movies. “ _The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club. Third rule of Fight Club: Someone yells stop, goes limp, taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule: only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule: one fight at a time, fellas. Sixth rule: no shirts, no shoes. Seventh rule: Fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule: If this is your first night at Fight Club, you have to fight.”_ Wonho recited in his head as though it were a prayer. Just about all of those rules applied except for rule number six which Seungri conveniently left as: “optional”.

After he put his clothes to wash and ate some plain oatmeal, he laid back down on his bed and put his earbuds in. He stared up at the ceiling and just focused on the guitars strumming, lulling him into a sense of comfort. Sometimes he felt like a different person when Hyungwon was gone. He felt…. empty. He sometimes considered what kind of person he would be, had Hyungwon not been in his life. He knew he’d never been a social butterfly, nor had he ever really enjoyed being around people. In a way, he was kind of a sociopath. Which would explain why he felt little to no remorse when he was thrown into the ring with some other unlucky shmuck just trying to make a buck. Without his little brother, he’d be alone in this world. He would hate almost everyone and go through life with no remorse and maybe even no control when it came to hurting people. Hyungwon maintained his humanity.  Had he been alone on that night ten years ago, or if Hyungwon had died that night, Wonho would have just ended his own life at the orphanage or thrown himself into the fire with them. “ _Why go through life alone when you have no hope of making permanent friends or having any lovers?”_ Sure he had Jooheon in high school, but it was mainly because they were both a little off. Jooheon put on a happy façade for everyone else, but Wonho knew on the inside, he was like a tortured child. Regardless, he figured, if he could just stay alive long enough to ensure that Hyungwon could have his own career and have his own family; his own life, then his mission on this Earth would be complete. But he knew he was not quite to that goal yet. “ _I’ll get you that car you want, stringbean.”_

He sang along to the song flowing through his earbuds, “[Two of us](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiF0Br9XB0c) riding nowhere, spending someone’s hard earned pay. Two of us Sunday driving, not arriving, on our way back home. We’re on our way home……. We’re going home.”


	3. The Boy With the Thorn in His Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ++WARNING: This chapter contains references to abuse++

The clock struck 11:55 as Wonho parked his car behind a series of trees in a forest on the opposite side of the city from where he lived. He followed the typical path, where he found a set of stairs leading downward to a heavy steel door. The place where these fights were held, was fashioned out of a massive abandoned underground bunker that was used during the Great 3-Year War over 65 years ago. Upon knocking on the door, a man slides open a slit in the door to reveal his eyes.

“..Oh it’s you!”, Seungri opens the door gleefully and let’s Wonho come in. “You’ve made it in time!” Seungri, yelled over the crowd of people occupying the large fighting room. From what Wonho could tell, there were at least 200 people circled around the ring, watching the fight that was already going on.

“Who is my opponent tonight?” Wonho asks as he puts his bag in a nearby locker and begins wrapping his hands.

“A newbie from one of those seaside towns. He’s about 16.”

“16?! That’s a little young, Seungri!” Wonho couldn’t help but be reminded of his brother, who had just turned 17 not too long ago. The youngest person he'd ever fought was 19 even though he had started out here very young himself. 

“Relax. You don’t need to knock him out. Just rough him up enough to make him tap out. He’s a total coward, I swear. He was dropped here by an old acquaintance of mine. Said he won him in a bet, so he normally uses him as a servant at his estate but he figured he’d try to make more money off him.”

“That’s disgusting…. I can’t do that, Seungri. Let me fight anyone else, please.”

“You can either fight the fucking kid or you’re never welcome here again, do you understand me?”

Wonho shot an intimidating glance at Seungri, clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. “ _You fucker…If I have to, I am not going to make a bloodsport out of it.”_

“Fine. I’ll fight him.”, Wonho stated with disdain in his voice.

“Good boy! Just rough him up and you’ll go home with a thousand bucks! Easiest money you’ll ever make here!”

“Right…Where is he? I’d like to meet him.”

“He’s in the warm-up room.”

Wonho walks past the spectator area and glances around looking for whoever requested him here. He notices three men sitting near the front of the ring. The man on the right was wearing a dark fitted suit and long black trenchcoat. He had dark hair just above shoulder length, fair skin, captivating eyes and an elegant way about him. He was standing up, scanning the crowd like a robot trying to identify a threat. The man on the left was much the opposite. Although he was seated, he was obviously shorter than the other man. He was wearing a dark suit similar to the other man but he had a much more disheveled look to him. He had dark coiffed hair, round dark eyes, and a menacing look to him. He too was scanning around like the other man, but this man was looking for prey; like someone out for blood.

The man in the middle, had his face almost entirely covered by a black scarf. Not even his eyes could be seen because he was wearing black sunglasses. He was wearing a top hat, a black satin shirt buttoned up to his collar, and fitted black khakis. There was something about this man; it was almost like he exuded a certain confidence. “ _They must be the reason I’m here.”_ Before Wonho could turn his gaze away, the man in the top hat turned his head towards him. Wonho froze, not knowing what to do besides maintain eye contact. The man removed his glasses slightly, revealing his dark cat-like eyes. Wonho suddenly felt a shiver shoot through his spine, and for what felt like the first time in a while, he felt a hint of fear. “ _Why is he looking at me?”_ The man winked at him and readjusted his sunglasses. Wonho finally snapped out of his hypnosis and realized the other two men were staring at him as well. The taller man was giving him cold, calculated stares. The shorter man was smiling menacingly and licked his lips.

‘ _Fucking weirdos.”_ Wonho finally shook it off and continued walking towards the warm-up room.

There was only one boy in the humid warm-up room. Pacing around nervously and holding his hands up to his face as if silently praying.

“Hello?”, Wonho said softly.

The boy flinched and bowed eagerly. “Hello! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there! I will leave and give you time alone! Please forgive me!” The boy was not much shorter than Wonho, and he had a very beautiful smile. It almost made Wonho feel at ease. He was a handsome kid, with eyes that almost formed smiles of their own, and he had a head full of messy red hair. “ _He even looks like a goddamn child_!”

“It’s okay! I actually came here to talk to you! I know it’s a bit strange to meet your opponent before a fight but I wanted to see you. I’m Wonho.” As Wonho held out his hand to shake hands, the boy smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

“My name is [Jimin](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ed/c7/5e/edc75eab66a3ab3d8426a903e7a22161.jpg)! Nice to meet you! Is this your first time too? Why did your master bring you here?”

Wonho flinched at the statement, “Um….I’ve been here for about 4 years now….I’m sorry but, what do you mean by "master"?”

Jimin lowered his head as though in shame, “I’m sorry. I guess I just assume everyone in a position like this belongs to someone else. My master’s name is Manseok.”

“I guess what I meant to say is WHY do you have a master?”

“Well…From what master Manseok’s told me anyway; my father was a drug addict. And…I suppose…as a way to fuel his problem…he sold me off…I…. My first master was very cruel in ways I’d rather not say….But since Master Manseok won me, my life has improved! He made me a servant at his estate and he doesn’t abuse me the way my first master did. He never makes me visit his bedroom and all I have to do is follow his orders and he—“

“Please stop…Please.”, Wonho felt a lump in his throat. “ _This boy is nearly the same age as my brother, he’s innocent, he’s GOOD…And the world let him down too. I can’t hurt this boy. I might as well punch my own brother in the face.”_ Wonho reached out, grabbed the boy and hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry….I am so so sorry. Please, I beg you. Forfeit this fight. I don’t want to fight you. Please.”

Jimin nervously held Wonho back, “I can’t. I’m sorry. I need to fight you, if I don’t, I’ll get in big trouble with Master Manseok.”

“Look if you forfeit, I’ll take you away from that. I’ll find you some place better where you can have a real family. I have a brother close to your age, he loves making new friends!”

Jimin’s eyes lit up and he smiled a bit, “Really? I’ve never had friends…”

The door slammed open a large older man with glasses barged in. “Jimin!”

“Master!”, Jimin exclaimed nervously. “Master, I was just about to come out, I just wanted to sit-“

“Get your ass over here, NOW! You’re no use to me in here! You should be out waiting in the goddamn ring! Not sitting here gossiping with your opponent!”

“I’m sorry, Master!”, he scurried over to the man’s side. His posture resembled that of a scared chihuahua. “Umm..Wonho?”

“Yes?”, Wonho hissed through his teeth. Giving the large man a death glare.

“Ummm…Let’s have a good fight…And...Hey it’s midnight! Merry Christmas!.... Fighting!” he raised a fist up like an excited child. The large man pushed Jimin out of the room and slammed the door after giving Wonho an uncertain look.

_“Fucking scumbag. You better hope I don’t find you after the match. I will fucking end you.”_

Wonho pulled out his cellphone to send a text message and finished wrapping his hands.

“It’s midnight! Merry Christmas, stringbean! I’ll see you in the morning! I love you – Wonho”

 


	4. Carry That Weight

[He entered the ring](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7nz6-UVrmU) reluctantly, letting his arms drape at his sides and hopping rhythmically to finish his warm-up. Jimin is on the other side of the ring, sitting in a corner and looking down at the ground. Before Wonho could walk over and comfort him, Seungri’s voice boomed over the P.A.

“GOOOOOOD evening, ladies and gents! It’s time for the finale of our Christmas Special! We’ve got our undefeated Wolf going up against some new blood tonight!”, the crowd chuckled in amusement. “Now, don’t forget to place your bets on your winner tonight! I have no doubt it’ll be an interesting fight! Without further ado….LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!” The crowd began to roar, however Wonho tuned them all out. All he could hear was his own breathing. All he could feel was his heart beating in his chest and the constant gaze of the man with the cat-like eyes seated beyond where Jimin was standing.

“Beat his fucking face in!”, a male spectator yelled in excitement. Jimin squared up, put his fists by his face and nervously started to walk towards Wonho.

“ _I can’t do this. I can’t do this!”_ Wonho did the same and slowly walked towards Jimin. Once he reached him he began lightly touching his fingers against Jimin’s fists to make it look like he was teasing him.

“ _Please give up now.”_

Jimin took a swing at him and Wonho quickly dodged it, and continued to dodge Jimin’s repeated attempts. “ _He’s fast!_ ” The audience is still loudly cheering and eager for Jimin to land a punch or for a knock-out, however Wonho’s reflexes are superior. An uneasy feeling led Wonho to look in the direction of the three men seated in front of the cage. The man’s sunglasses were now completely off, and he was scanning Wonho thoroughly with his dark eyes. Having been caught off guard, Jimin finally managed to land a punch on Wonho’s face. He nearly fell back but he gracefully back flipped and composed himself.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”, Jimin said with a worried face as he kept swinging. Due to a natural instinct to attack when hit, Wonho landed a perfect punch right on Jimin’s face, causing blood to pour from his nose. Jimin whimpered a little and held onto his face, drenching his hand-wraps in blood.

“It hurts!”, Jimin whimpered softly.

“What the fuck are you doing!? HIT HIM!”, Manseok yelled and clawed at the cage surrounding the ring. Jimin quickly drew his hands away from his face and started trying to hit Wonho again but this time more desperately than before. As he continued dodging every attack, Wonho began to realize just how afraid Jimin is. “ _He’s just a scrawny kid with shit luck, being thrown into a ring with a monster. He’s hurt, he doesn’t know what to do…_.”

The audience began to boo on account of Wonho’s lack of participation. This only made Jimin punch with more fervor, as he had small tears streaming down his child-like face, which was now covered in blood, from his nose down.

After a few more minutes of just dodging, Wonho began taking body shots. He began hitting Jimin in his ribs, his stomach and back to his ribs again. “ _I have to….He isn’t going to give up otherwise.”_

Jimin heaved as he got the wind knocked out of him and left his face uncovered. “ _Make it quick”_ Wonho hit Jimin in the face, right in the perfect spot to knock the boy out immediately. The crowd exclaimed in approval and a few spectators began to howl like wolves. Wonho looked over at Seungri, to which Seungri responded with an approving nod. The three strangers in the front all stared at Wonho with curious eyes. The shorter man had a devilish smile on his face as he stared Wonho right in the eyes. Wonho got goosebumps and looked away quickly. He veered his gaze to the ground where his new friend lay unconscious. “I’ve got you, Jimin..”, he whispered to himself as he picked the boy up in his arms. He quickly walked out of the cage and towards the warm-up room, ignoring the cheers and insults from the crowd. “ _Definitely not my most entertaining fight. But it’s over. I knocked him out quickly enough that he probably felt little to no pain.”_ He laid Jimin down on a couch and quickly got a wet towel to clean the blood off of the boy’s face, making sure not to miss any spots. Finally, after making sure he was all cleaned up, he grabbed a clean wet towel and set it across Jimin’s forehead, and draped his own black hoodie over the boy. He sat on the ground across from the couch and stared ahead. He wanted to wait for the boy to wake up before Manseok came in looking for him. The only reason he hadn't come in yet, was because he was collecting his winnings from placing his bets against Jimin. “ _I need to give him the option to come be with Hyungwon and I_. _He’ll be happy being around someone his age. I can take care of him too.”_ He believed the boy represented the innocent and unaware side of himself that burned away all those years ago. Otherwise, He couldn’t fully understand why he felt so attached, so protective of this kid he literally just met today. Yet he felt no regret feeling this way. He knows Hyungwon would agree with him as well, and that reassured his actions.

“Wonho…”, Seungri interrupted Wonho’s thoughts as he poked his head through the door. “Our guests are ready to see you.”

“Who are they, Seungri?”, Wonho cringed at the thought of the devious-looking shorter man. And felt goosebumps rise on his arms at the image of the covered man’s intimidating gaze.

“They’re members of the Synaxis. They're scary motherfuckers, Wonho. Do not keep them waiting. They’re in my office.”, for the first time since he's known him; Wonho saw genuine fear in Seungri's eyes.


	5. Say Hello to the Angels

****As Wonho followed Seungri through the crowds of people still pooled in the fighting area, he could hear people congratulating him from all sides and thanking him for the easy money they won. He simply ignored them though, giving no one any acknowledgment. His mind was too preoccupied with the thoughts of what these men wanted, and why they came here personally. In truth, he had no idea who they were. It wasn’t surprising though, they were so many dark and mysterious things in this world that he wouldn’t doubt the existence of secret societies.

Once they reached Seungri’s office towards the back of the bunker, Seungri gave a silent signal to Wonho to enter, and he walked away. Wonho gulped and took a deep breath. “ _Why am I so nervous? I don’t even know who these guys are.”_ He shook his head as though he were shaking off chills. _“You just answered your own question, dumbass.”_

Without any further hesitation, he opened the door and stepped inside slowly, looking around. The three men he’d seen by the ring were around the desk in the middle of the room. The man who had his face covered was sitting behind the desk and the two other men were standing at either side of him. The air in the room felt almost smothering, as the shorter man looked at Wonho up and down like an animal staring down its prey. The taller man looked at him with no emotion, he almost looked like a figurine. And the seated man still had his scarf around most of his face, but left his cat eyes uncovered. In his hand he swished around a glass of what appeared to be whiskey.

“H-hello.”, Wonho stuttered.

“Don’t be shy! Take a seat!”, the shorter man said with a too-eager smile as he pulled up a chair in front of them. Wonho took a seat and put his hands on his lap and began to drum his fingers against his lap, looking at them not knowing what to say.

“Wonho….”, the seated man began to remove his scarf and top hat. His bright red hair fell and covered his forehead. His face was slightly round but he had a slightly pointy chin. The man was actually quite beautiful, and he looked even more cat-like without the scarf and hat. “How are you?”

Wonho was a bit taken aback by his question because he said it so casually, as though they were lifelong friends.

“I’m good…Thank you for asking.”

“You don’t know who we are, but we know all about you.”

Wonho looked up at the man, and gave him a confused look. “Huh?”

“We’ve been watching your fights for quite some time now. Well from afar anyway. From the way you were looking at me tonight, I’m sure you would’ve noticed us watching you a long time ago.”, the man winked and took a sip of his drink. “Ah how rude of me. Allow me to introduce us. My name is [Jiyong](http://data.whicdn.com/images/245832702/original.jpg). This is [Jaejoong](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/55/e9/7c/55e97cc7651424fe98154215e3a13b5f.jpg).”, he gestured to the taller silent man. “And this is [Kyungsoo](http://media.tumblr.com/90a80e6c70390b3a17b6593238b80736/tumblr_inline_mfe1s3WEzK1r5ixog.png).”, he gestured to the shorter man.

“Pleasure.”, Kyungsoo said with that devious smile.

“….Nice to meet you guys…. I’m sorry but, why did you call me here?”, Wonho sat straight in his seat. He felt comfortable looking Jiyong in the eyes now.

“Well, as Seungri may or may not have informed you already. We are members of a group called the Synaxis.”

“Right, I’ve never heard of it.”

Jiyong smiled flirtatiously and set his drink down on the desk. “Good, I’d hope you’ve never heard of it. Because that would defeat the purpose of it being a secret. The Synaxis is a group I founded a little over 15 years ago, when I was a teenager.”

“A secret society? What kind of secret society?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know…”, Kyungsoo teased.

“It is my clan of mercenaries. A group of some of the most skilled men in their areas. We get paid to do a job, we do it and we leave.”

Wonho felt slightly confused, and was uncertain of his reason for being here talking to these men. “Okay…? Umm…That’s pretty interesting and all. But why call me here? What do I have to do with your group?”

[Jiyong got up from his seat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4qdbGcFBxw), walked towards the front of the desk and sat down. He looked up at Wonho and crossed his arms. “I want you to join me. I think you show great promise.” He got up again and stepped towards Wonho, putting his hand gently on Wonho’s cheek and looking him deep in the eyes. “You’re strong, stealthy, adept at learning new things … I want you.”

Wonho was so immersed in Jiyong’s eyes, it took him a moment to realize that their faces were mere centimeters apart, and he could feel Jiyong’s soft and silent breath against his face. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Although this man made him feel somewhat uneasy, he was completely under his control. “I can’t be in your group. I-I have people to t-take c-care of.” Wonho stuttered just above a whisper.

“I bet you do. You’ll be making more than enough money to provide for whatever family you may have. We’re talking millions depending on the hit…”

Wonho became lost in Jiyong’s dark eyes again. He could see his reflection in them, then he could see Hyungwon’s face. Images appearing and reappearing; Hyungwon smiling, laughing. His parents smiling at him. Then suddenly he saw Hyungwon and Jimin crying and screaming, like they did when their home burned down, taking everything from them. " _No....Hyungwon won't ever cry again. Never again_!" Suddenly, it was as if he had forgotten seeing anything at all and once again looked at Jiyong's face. 

“Well?... Will you join me, Wonho?”

“……Okay…”, he closed his eyes and felt Jiyong’s hands under his jaw. He could feel their lips getting closer and closer. Wonho still felt like he had no control over his own body, yet he felt like even if they ended up kissing, he would not care. It’d lift a weight from his shoulders.

Before their lips could touch, someone knocked on the door. Jiyong pulled away and looked towards the door, releasing Wonho from whatever trance he had him under.

“Wonho?”, Jimin poked his head in and awkwardly entered. “I’m sorry to interrupt. Wonho, I just wanted to say thank you-“ Before Jimin could finish, a sudden whooshing sound rushed past Wonho’s right ear and towards Jimin. A throwing knife lodged itself in the wall behind Jimin, leaving a small trail of red hairs floating to the ground as it had grazed his head.

“Huh…he just barely dodged it! Little fucker is fast! I never miss…”, Kyungsoo flashed a smile, which quickly turned into a menacing glare as he readied himself to try again. Jimin stood there, shocked and shivering not knowing what to do.

“No!”, Wonho yelled and stood in front of Jimin to shield him. “Kill him, and I’m not joining your fucking boy scouts!”

“Kyungsoo, that’s enough.”, Jiyong said in a calm tone, holding his hand out. Kyungsoo frowned and walked towards Jimin, strutting in an arrogant manner. Wonho held his hand out towards the short man and pushed Jimin gently towards the wall. He walked past them both, side-eyeing them as he dislodged his stainless knife from the wall and trudged back to stand next to Jaejoong behind the desk. Jaejoong still kept his silence. Wonho could tell the man was an observer, studying everyone’s movements and the mood shifts in the room.

“What’s your name, boy?”, Jiyong smiled invitingly. Jimin was wearing Wonho’s hoodie. He had his arms wrapped around himself and was looking down, still shivering.

“My name is Jimin, sir.”

“Jimin… A lovely name. Are you Wonho’s friend?”

“Yes…!”, Jimin’s voice filled with enthusiasm as he looked up a little.

“You are very fast, Jimin. No one has ever been able to dodge Kyungsoo’s knives…. Did you do that knowingly?”, Jiyong slowly walked past Wonho and put a hand on Jimin’s shoulder.

Jimin looked up at him and realized, he could not look away from this man’s eyes. “No, sir.”

“I see…. You are obviously very talented, Jimin. No need to be scared anymore, I won’t let Kyungsoo hurt you. Any friend of Wonho’s is a friend of mine.”

Jimin stopped shivering almost immediately, and let his arms fall to his sides. “Thank you…”

“Jimin…I was just asking Wonho here to join a very special group I’m in. Would you be interested?”

“Group?”, Jimin flashed his innocent smile.

“No…Absolutely not.”, Wonho interrupted.

“…..Well, sir. Even if I wanted to. There’s no way my master would let me…”

“Hmm…?”

“In fact, he’s probably looking for me still. If I don’t go back down, he’ll be very angry! I just wanted to thank Wonho for helping me and lending me his sweater! I have to go, sir!”, Jimin began to panic and reached for the doorknob only to stop at the sound of a man’s booming voice on the other side of the door. He could hear his master and Seungri arguing.

“Please, you cannot go in there!”,Seungri pleaded.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about who’s in there! They don’t have the RIGHT to take what doesn’t belong to them and hide it from me!”

“Oh no it’s him!”, Jimin ran behind Wonho.

The door flew open, leaving a small dent in the wall where the doorknob hit.

“Where is he!? Where is that worthless thing!!”, Manseok spit with every word that blurted from his mouth. “Get over here!”, he reached around Wonho and grabbed Jimin very aggressively by the arm.

“Master no! I’m sorry! Please!! I just wanted to say bye to my friend!”

Manseok smacked Jimin across the face and Jimin fell on the floor, clinging to his master’s arm, crying and holding onto his cheek. Wonho immediately stepped towards the man, ready to beat him to a bloody pulp. However, Jiyong put his hand on Wonho’s shoulder and whispered. “No need to get your hands dirty.”

“Your FRIEND?! You have no friends, you worthless, pathetic, piece of-!”, the man raised his hand again.

“Jaejoong.”, Jiyong said without looking away from Manseok.

Before the man’s hand could fall, Jaejoong appeared in front of him so fast it was as though he had teleported. He unsheathed a katana hidden beneath his trench coat and sliced the man’s head clean off with no sound but the blade slicing through the air. Blood spurted into the air and the man’s body toppled over with a loud thud. Jimin sat on the floor, wide-eyed, some of Manseok’s blood had gotten on his face.

Jaejoong stood up, grabbed a cloth from his pocket, wiped his sword clean with one stroke, sheathed his katana and returned to his position next to Kyungsoo, whom was laughing to the point of tears. His face held no emotion, he said nor did anything to indicate he had just killed a man. He hadn’t even gotten any blood on him.

“You killed him!”, Wonho kept staring at the body on the floor and the pool of blood forming around it.

“Like you weren’t going to……. Furthermore, the last thing we need is you beating a man to nothing, while his screaming fills up the whole building...Regardess, nothing worse than a man like that.”, Jiyong helped Jimin up to his feet. “You’re free now.... No "master"...No one to hold you back. You are free to do as you please.”

Jimin looked away from the body and looked at Jiyong. “…Free? Does that mean I CAN be Wonho’s friend now?”

Upon hearing that, Wonho looked at Jimin. He felt a lump begin to form in his throat. “Jimin....” He grabbed Jimin and hugged him firmly. He looked over Jimin’s shoulder and made eye contact with Jiyong who simply smiled crookedly. Kyungsoo could be heard making gagging sounds in the background.

Jimin let go of Wonho and turned back to Jiyong. “Whatever group you’re talking about, if Wonho is in, so am I.”

“Jimin, no you can do other things-.”

“No! I want to be with you. I want to be like you. I am free now, right? I choose to join!”

Wonho looked at Jimin and nodded his head. If this is what he wanted, who was he to take that away from him? He’d be no better than his “master”. “ _At least if he’s with me, I can take care of him. He can be friends with Hyungwon and learn to love him like a brother too. This can’t be all bad. Fighting to survive is all I’ve known how to do. I can do this, if it means getting my brother….my family, the things it needs for happiness, I’d give my life for that.”_

“Welcome to the Synaxis!”, Kyungsoo kicked the severed head like a soccer ball.

 


	6. Bridge Over Troubled Water

“Are you hungry?”, Wonho asked Jimin as they walked back towards the car.

“Um…a little.” Jimin snuggled up in hoodie that Wonho had put on him.

After little deliberation and after having discussions with Jiyong regarding their joining the clan, Wonho decided to bring Jimin home with him. He was planning to do so anyway, with or without his Manseok's head being cut off. He figured, Hyungwon could use a friend. Someone a little less serious than himself.

“Okay, what are you craving?”, Wonho put his arm around Jimin’s shoulders.

“Hmmmm….”, he put a finger against his lips in thought, “Chicken fingers!” his eyes lit up.

“That’s it? You can get whatever you want, you know.”

“No, that’s not it!...I want fries too!”

Wonho laughed loudly and patted Jimin’s back. “Okay okay. But I also need a favor from you afterwards, okay?”, they finally reached the car.

“Sure! What do you need?”

Wonho opened the trunk of his car, revealing a long rectangular box that said **_CASIO_** in large black letters. “This is a gift for my little brother. It’s a keyboard that he’s wanted for a while. I would’ve gotten it for him sooner but it took me a minute to save up the money for it. Anyway, I’m absolute shit at wrapping gifts up nicely. Are you any good at it?”

Jimin gently touched the box with his fingertips, as though it would break under his touch. “I’ve wrapped a lot of gifts! I’d be happy to! May I ask; what’s your brother’s name?”

“His name is Hyungwon.”, he stated proudly.

“Hyungwon! That’s a great name! Wow….”, he lifted his fingers from the box and smiled brightly, “He’s very lucky to have a big brother like you. I can’t wait to meet him!”

====================================================================================================

It was around six in the morning when Wonho and Jimin walked into the apartment carrying Hyungwon’s gift. Jimin had wrapped it in silver wrapping paper adorned with snowmen, and put a large red bow on it. They gently set it under the tree, and looked around. Hyungwon had cleaned last night and left the place spotless.

“He must still be in bed.”, Wonho walked over to the bedroom door and cracked it open. Hyungwon’s hair was poking out from beneath his blankets and a light snore could be heard, filling Wonho with a sense of comfort. He tip-toed in and grabbed a few clean clothes for himself and Jimin, as well as some make-up to cover up whatever bruises they had on their faces. Jimin had a larger bruise on his cheek where he had been smacked the night before, and there were specks of blood on the collar of his shirt. Surprisingly, the beating he took from Wonho hadn't left any serious bruising. Mostly a little swelling, but most of it had gone down.

Wonho changed into a clean white t-shirt and plaid pajama pants, and Jimin changed into the same kind of outfit however he still wanted to wear Wonho’s hoodie. Wonho hid their dirty clothes on his side of the closet and instructed Jimin to wait in the livingroom. “Go ahead and sit on the couch, make yourself comfortable. I’m going to wake Hyungwon up and let him know you’re going to stay here. Remember what I told you last night?”

“Don’t tell Hyungwonnie about the fight club, or the Synaxis. Got it!”, he gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.

“Good. I will be right back.”

He re-entered the room and closed the door behind him. He sat himself down on Hyungwon’s bed and gently rocked him to wake him up.

“Stringbean? Stringbean, wake up.”, he whispered.

“Hmm? Fuck off, Zelo,”, Hyungwon mumbled.

“Zelo? No, it’s Wonho, you idiot.”

“Hmmmm?...What time is it?”

“It’s six fifteen in the morning, Stringbean. Time for Christmas!”

Hyungwon got up slowly, rubbed his eyes with a yawn and smiled, “Then that means it’s time for me to give you this!”, he reached under his bed, pulled out a small jewelry box and handed it to Wonho. “It isn’t much, but I figured maybe you’ll like it.”

Wonho opened the box; inside was a silver pocket watch.

“Open it, open it!”, Hyungwon urged. Wonho opened it with gentle hands, revealing the simple watch on the right side, and a recent photo of him and Hyungwon on the left side. He touched the watch gently, admiring the picture and smiling till his cheeks started to hurt.

“Thank you…. Really, thank you. I love it.”, he cleared his throat and held it to his chest.

“Like I said, I know it isn’t much. But it’s just a reminder not to beat yourself up about things that happened in the past or over things you feel you haven’t been able to give me. I want both of us to look forward to the future and be the best men we can be, and stay together no matter what.”, he reached out and hugged Wonho tightly.

Wonho didn’t want to say anything while his brother held him, out of fear that he’d lose control and burst into tears. Once Hyungwon finally let him go, he gathered the strength to speak. “Now, I just hope you like _your_ gift….Also…I need to talk to you about something.”

Hyungwon listened with attentive ears as his brother told him about Jimin. Wonho told him he had met him at the shipping facility as just a kid looking for work and that after hearing his life story, felt he needed to help him. He, like them, had no family, nowhere to really go. By the end of Wonho’s story, Hyungwon rubbed his eyes in disbelief. 

“Wow…So he practically grew up having to be a slave? His family just completely abandoned him? What kind of heartless monsters would do that?”

“Drugs can make people into monsters. But he’s a really sweet kid and I think you’ll get along. When the time comes, I will move us into a bigger place.”

“I think you made the right choice. I’m more than okay with him staying here if you really think he is a good person. I trust your judgment. Will he go to school with me?”

“He’s actually decided not to attend school. He said he just wants to work and earn himself a place in our family. Those were his exact words, and I guess the least I can do is respect his wishes.”

“Of course…. Okay well…. Can I meet him now?”, he smiled eagerly.

          The boys walked into the livingroom to find Jimin sitting on the ground, with some of Hyungwon’s encyclopedias spread around him. He was marveling at the pictures and reading everything. Hyungwon giggled and snapped Jimin out of his trance.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!”, he panicked and began picking up all the books and putting them back in their place, “Forgive me! I got distracted and all the pictures were so cool and- “

“You’re okay, Jimin.”, Wonho reassured him. “I just wanted to introduce you to my brother. Hyungwon meet Jimin, Jimin meet Hyungwon.”

Hyungwon held out his hand to shake hands and Jimin just hugged him tightly.  Hyungwon couldn’t help but laugh, “Nice to meet you too, Jimin!”

“Wonho talked about you all night so I feel like you’re my brother too! I even helped him wrap your gift, look!” he pointed to the large box.

Hyungwon got down to his knees and began to tear off the wrapping paper. Once he pulled of the paper to reveal **_CASIO_** , he looked back at Wonho in disbelief. “You didn’t!” He frantically tore off the rest of the paper and opened the box. “You did! Oh my god, thank you! Thank you so much, Wonho! I’ve wanted one of these for so long, ever since we left the orphanage!” he hugged Wonho as tightly as he could. Wonho smiled and tousled his hair.

“It was nothing, really! Want me to set it up for you?”

“No, it’s okay I got it.”

“Wait, let me help you! Also, I have a gift for both of you, if you don't mind!”, Jimin said. Wonho looked at him with a confused expression and Hyungwon looked at Wonho with curiousity.

“Okay! Let’s do it.”

Together, they assembled all the necessary pieces to the keyboard stand while talking and laughing. Wonho made them hot chocolate in the meantime, which was ready by the time they finished.

“Well Jimin, what’s your gift?”, Wonho handed the boys their mugs of hot chocolate.

“Ah, wait, wait, wait!”, Jimin took a sip of the drink and grabbed one of the chairs from the dining table. He pushed it up to the keyboard and sat down. “Whenever I felt sad or alone in my old home, I would often sing and play on master Manseok’s piano when he wasn’t home. But I don’t need to play out of sadness anymore so this is a little nerve-racking for me, I guess. This is a song that always made me feel a little better. It’s called [_Bridge Over Troubled Water_ ;](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coCiP4UbmYE) you may have heard it before. I heard it in a church I would often visit when I was very young and it always stuck with me. I always thought the lyrics of the song represented me well. I’ve always wanted to help people and make people laugh. I never even wanted anything back. I’ve  just wanted real friends who I could make smile. Seeing people smile and have a good time around me always motivated me to go on….Since you guys are my first real friends, consider this my way of saying thank you.”

Wonho and Hyungwon sat down on the couch and watched Jimin as they sipped on their drinks. He inhaled and exhaled quietly and let his fingers hover over the keys. He closed his eyes and began to play. His fingers flowed across the keys as though he were gliding his hands across water. Wonho couldn’t believe this was the same boy. It was like he had matured about 10 years the moment he started to play. He had no smile, he kept his eyes nearly closed and his head down as he played the melancholic yet hopeful melody. Hyungwon stopped sipping on his hot chocolate and became transfixed once Jimin began to sing.

“When you’re weary, feeling small. When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all. I’m on your side, oh, when times get rough. And friends just can’t be found, like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.”

He continued, his voice never faltered. Once he hit the last few high notes, he opened his eyes. Wonho and Hyungwon sat with their mouths open and immediately clapped when he finished. Jimin wiped the tears that began to form in his eyes and smiled. “That was a lot harder to sing than I thought it’d be.”, he gave up and just let them flow down his cheeks. 

“You have a beautiful voice, Jimin. I felt everything you’ve been through just from hearing that.”, Wonho stood Jimin up. “No more crying.” He wrapped him in a warm embrace.

Hyungwon got up and put his arms around him too, “Welcome to our family, Jimin….”


	7. One Way or Another

After dropping Hyungwon off at school, Wonho and Jimin returned to their apartment to wait to be picked up to go meet with the Synaxis again. After waiting around for nearly half an hour, a black Rolls Royce pulled up in front of their apartment building.

“Oooh, fancy!”, Jimin pressed his face against the window like an excited child.

“Come on, we gotta go!”, Wonho pulled Jimin’s hoodie over his head and rushed him out the door.

They entered the car and sat in the backseat. The man driving had long caramel brown hair that passed his shoulders. He was very beautiful and graceful in the way he presented himself.

“Hello, gentlemen. You are Wonho and Jimin, correct?”, the man spoke with a voice as soft as silk. Wonho nodded in response.

“Who are you?”, Wonho asked.

“My name is [Jeonghan](https://i.imgur.com/z3MwRXm.jpg). I’ve been hearing a lot about you guys these last few weeks as Jiyong has been preparing for your induction into our clan. He is very excited to say the least. Especially about you joining, Wonho.”

“You’re in the clan?”, Jimin asked in a confused tone.

Jeonghan laughed, “Yes, I am, even though I may not look it. There are only five members of the Synaxis, seven now with the addition of you two. Everyone else within our headquarters are simply footmen and staff.

“No offense, but you don’t look like the kind of guy who could kill someone.”

“My specialty does not require me to look or act a certain way. I am not sure if Jiyong told you this, but each member specializes in different skill sets. I specialize in poison. Jaejoong’s skill lies in his ability to cut any man down with his katana. Kyungsoo specializes in most forms of weaponry that require throwing; knives, darts, et cetera.”

“What about the other members?”, Jimin rested his arms against the back of the driver’s seat and looked up curiously.

“Well, Yukwon specializes in explosives. And Shownu specializes in archery. You will meet those guys as well.”

Wonho sat up in his seat and looked at Jeonghan through the rear view mirror. “And what about Jiyong?”

Jeonghan peered up at Wonho and looked right at his face. “Jiyong? Well, he’s our leader. He is pretty much good at every skill.”

“Do you know how we are going to fit into this equation?”

“I am not entirely certain, but my understanding is that you will specialize in guns, Wonho. Since you have a history with firearms, it’d only make sense. As for you Jimin, I have no clue.”

“I see…”, Wonho and Jimin looked out their respective windows and stayed in silence for the rest of the ride.

Finally, they pulled up to a large black gate, which spanned on either side as far as the eye could see. A little more than a mile beyond the gate, Wonho could see a large gothic-styled mansion, painted in black.

“I’m assuming this is headquarters”, Wonho stated.

“Correct. It is bigger on the inside though, I promise. This is where we train, live, eat, and sleep. You’ll find everything you need in this place.”

“Wow!”, Jimin exclaimed. “This is so cool!”

Jeonghan parked the car right in front of the roundabout driveway of the mansion and handed the keys to the butler waiting for them outside. Once the boys entered, they realized that Jeonghan was right about it being bigger on the inside. The ceiling was much taller than expected and the black marble floors spanned so wide and were so clean they felt as though they were walking on dark water.

“Please follow me, I will show you to our meeting den.”

The boys followed him for what seemed like miles, but they kept getting distracted by the extravagant rooms and beautiful artworks hanging on the walls. They finally reached a pair of long red doors, and before entering Jeonghan turned to them and spoke in a whisper.

“Before we enter this room, I want to ask….Are you certain this is the path you want to choose? Jiyong is a charming man, and I’ve known him ever since we were children. But he can be mysterious, even to the likes of me.”

Wonho looked down at the ground and could see his reflection. He looked at himself and tried to remember what it was that made him say yes in the first place. However, before he could come to the realization, Jimin interrupted.

“We are too messed up for normal work...And we have someone to take care of.”

Jeonghan sighed lightly and ran his fingers through his hair, “Very well. That’s as good a reason as any, I suppose.” He turned around and placed his palms against the doors and pushed them open. Inside was a long black table, with three chairs on each side and one at the head of the table. Jiyong was seated at the head, his bright tousled red hair hanging just above his eyes. Jaejoong and Kyungsoo sat on either side of him. Jaejoong sitting straight up and staring at the boys with no expression. Kyungsoo was drumming his fingers against the table with one hand and drilling a knife into the table with the other. Next to Jaejoong were the last two member of the clan: Yukwon and Shownu. Yukwon was about the same size as Kyungsoo, however his facial structure was much more mature-looking and he had a very cool air about him. Shownu looked to be as tall as Jaejoong but his shoulders were very broad, and his frame was much thicker in contrast to Jaejoong’s slender frame. Wonho and Shownu locked eyes for a moment and Shownu curved his lips up into a warm smile, making his eyes form a smile as well. Wonho looked away and Shownu’s smile dropped.

“Hello, boys.”, Jiyong rose from his seat and motioned them to have a seat. “We’ll make this meeting short and sweet. First of all, let me introduce you to the members you haven’t met yet. This is [Yukwon](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRHgvcXBAlk/UKN_yP9t6bI/AAAAAAAAAW8/poThQhkOno4/s1600/7y8h9.jpg), he’s in charge of tech and explosives.”

“What’s up, guys. Welcome.”, Yukwon shook their hands.

“And that’s [Shownu](http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/39700000/Shownu-shownu-39726995-500-750.jpg). He’s my archer. He could shoot someone right through the eye from about a quarter mile away.”

“Pleasure.”, Shownu shook hands with Jimin graciously. But when he shook hands with Wonho, they locked eyes once again with serious faces, and their hands lingered. Shownu winked at him and rubbed his thumb against Wonho’s hand before letting go. Wonho felt the blood rush to his cheeks and although he told himself it was from indifference, he felt a nervous lump in his throat.

“Fantastic. Now that we all know each other, let’s get all this job assigning out of the way. Wonho, you are going to be my sniper. Really, you are going to specialize in firearms in general, but sniping will be your main method. We have everything you need to train and get up to speed. Jiyong smiled flirtatiously. “As for you, Jimin. I am giving you the choice to specialize in whatever you want.”

Jimin looked over at Wonho with wide eyes and looked back at Jiyong. “Why do I get that choice, Mr. Jiyong?”

Jiyong grinned at him, “Because I think you are capable of being good at everything…Don’t you think so, Wonho?”, his gaze shifted.

“Of course.”, Wonho looked away.

“Can I do guns and knives?”, Jimin asked.

“Sure. I’ll have you train with Wonho and Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo groaned, “I have no business training spineless wimps, Jiyong. I’ll pass.”, he stuck his knife into the table.

Jiyong turned around, walked up to Kyungsoo and glared at him with a calm look. “What was that, Kyungsoo?”

“I said: I’ll pass.”, Kyungsoo repeated with an arrogant tone.

“Ah, that’s what I thought you said.”, Jiyong sneered slightly. Before, Kyungsoo could react, Jiyong had a thin chain around his neck and began to pull. Kyungsoo began to gasp for air and held onto the chain in an attempt to pull it off him. Jiyong put his mouth up to Kyungsoo’s ear and his voice almost sounded like a growl. “Last time I checked, you weren’t the leader here, you stubborn incompetent fuck. Don’t forget, who made you what you are. You’ll train a fucking circus of fleas if that’s what I command you to do. You think just because you’re my third in command, you have the right to try to make yourself look cool in front of new members? Surely you know better than that, Kyungsoo. Do it again, and next time this chain will be a wire, and I will slice right through your fucking neck, do you understand me?” Kyungsoo eagerly nodded in agreement, Jiyong kissed him on the cheek and released the chain. “Good boy.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes were red and watery, he rubbed his throat and smiled broadly. He looked over at Jimin, “We start in the morning!”

" _Sadist freak_."

Jimin smiled awkwardly and nodded his head. “I’ll work hard!”

A long awkward silence filled the room, making all the men look at each other.

“Well now this is awkward!”, Yukwon said in a sing-song tone. “Let’s show them around then.”

Yukwon grabbed Jimin by the arm and walked him out eagerly to show him around the mansion. Wonho was left in the meeting room, sitting across from Shownu who was still staring at him from the corner of his eye.

“I’ll show you around.”, Jiyong came up behind Wonho and placed his hands on his shoulders.

The two men walked out of the room and began venturing further into the mansion, passing door upon door.

“All of these rooms are just spare rooms or rooms that belong to staff. Our rooms will be a little further in.”

“Do I need to live here?”

“No, not really. It’s just here if you need it.”

“Ah, okay. Well, I may not be staying here for the time being. I still have my little brother back home,”

“A little brother? How charming.”, Jiyong put his fingers over his mouth and smiled.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just good to see you caring for your little brother, is all. Family is important. Well…my father was an asshole and my brothers were spoiled brats but, I suppose any family is better than none eh?” Jiyong opened the door they arrived at, revealing a large room painted red, decorated with shelves and cabinets full of guns, artillery and other supplies and accessories. “This is all yours. You can share with Jimin if he chooses to delve further into firearms. If you need anything else just let know.”

“Whoa!…No, this is all perfect. It’s been a while since I’ve held a gun, but I’m sure I just need to practice.”

“There’s no rush. I’ll only give you an assignment when you feel confident enough. The last thing we need is a fucked up hit because I sent someone inexperienced in…. You’re quite comfortable with all this, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?”, Wonho said as he inspected one of the handguns.

“You and your friend just seem awfully okay with joining a clan of, what are essentially, murderers for hire. You don’t even have an inkling of doubt in your eyes or regret.”

Wonho looked up from the gun in his hand and felt himself be hypnotized by Jiyong’s gaze again, “When you’re desperate enough, and have done, and gone through enough bad shit to last a lifetime, taking the lives of drug lords and crooked politicians, pales in comparison to letting the people you love down.”

“You really are interesting…”, Jiyong smirked, and stepped up to Wonho. He placed one hand on the back of Wonho’s head and the other hand against his cheek and pulled him close. He pressed his lips against Wonho’s and let them linger for a moment. Wonho’s body felt frozen, just as it had the first time they had gotten this close. Jiyong slid his tongue into Wonho’s mouth and kissed him intensely. He kissed him back, however it wasn’t because he wanted to, he almost felt compelled to. In fact, Wonho had a feeling of uneasiness and fear as their lips touched. The kiss itself tasted sweet, but there was a bitterness to it that Wonho could not understand or explain. It almost felt as though Jiyong was feeding off of his energy.

“ _It feels like I’m kissing a demon..”_

Wonho opened his eyes, right at that moment Jiyong bit on his lower lip and ended the kiss.

“Well, there’s no going back now.”, Jiyong wiped his mouth, smiled crookedly, and walked out of the room.

Wonho stood there, alone, staring straight ahead. Jeonghan's echoed in his mind; "He can be mysterious...."

" _Were you warning me?_ "

 

 

 


	8. Horror Business: The Synaxis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for this long ass chapter. Really it's an optional read, I just wanted to showcase what the characters are capable of.

*******WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A SHITLOAD OF VIOLENCE AND SOME SEXUAL STUFF. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO THESE THINGS**********

 

 

Choi Seungcheol was the director of the country’s intelligence agency; he had just recently approved several policies within the agency which led to the massacre of several villages in Latin America. The leaders of the opposition fighting for independence in Latin America, banded what little funds they had to put a price on Seungcheol’s head. Luckily for them, the director often visited brothels. On this particular night, he and several of his agents decided to visit one in Nevada they’ve frequented before.

Upon walking in, all the women working in the brothel lined up to greet them. Seungcheol immediately zeroed in on a woman at the end of the line. Her brown hair was tied up into a messy bun and she wore bright red lip gloss, a pink choker, an oversized red flannel shirt and jean shorts.

“You’re new here. What’s your name, beautiful?”, he held her chin and looked into her eyes.

The woman smiled shyly, “I’m Ren.”

He smiled, “Ren…Have you fucked a lot of powerful men?”

“I can’t say…”, she bit her bottom lip flirtatiously. “Shall I take you upstairs?”

He winked at her and spanked her in response; a gesture she didn’t much care for.

She grabbed his hand and quietly led him upstairs to an empty room, and upon closing the door, he began kissing and sucking on her neck. She froze not knowing precisely what to say or do. His hands began to wander all over her body, touching her breasts, and her hips. His hand began to travel down her abdomen and towards the buttons of her shorts. However, she grabbed his hand before he could grope her any further.

“We should have a drink first.”, she said softly as she kissed the hand she grabbed.

He raised his eyebrow and sat down on the bed. “Okay. That sounds okay. What are we having?”

She reached into the mini fridge at the corner of the room to get some wine and a pair of glasses. She could feel his eyes undressing her as she bent down. She rolled her eyes and sighed before she straightened herself up.

“Chardonnay. Let me pour it for you.” She handed him the glass and sat next to him with her legs crossed; swishing around the contents of the glass. “A toast?”

“To beautiful women.”, he raised his glass and smiled arrogantly.

She scoffed playfully and raised her glass to his. “To powerful men.” She put the glass to her lips but didn’t drink, she simply watched him as he chugged the wine. After seeing the last drop touch his lips, she laughed softly and began sipping her wine. After a few sips, she set it down and pulled out some lip gloss from her pocket. He watched her as she applied the lip gloss slowly, the feeling of lust was overcoming him. He grabbed her face and kissed her deeply. He tasted her strawberry lip gloss and let his tongue slip further into her mouth.

After what seemed like minutes of kissing, the girl pushed him away to catch her breath. They were both breathing heavy and holding each other.

“You really try to smother a girl don’t you”, she smiled halfheartedly.

“I can’t help it..”, he began kissing on her neck again but she pushed him away slightly.

“It’s my job to please you, isn’t it?”, she pushed him back against the bed and unzipped his pants.

“Oh please”, he groaned.

With slight hesitation, she took him into her mouth and began sucking. He put his hand on the back of her head and moved her up and down.

His moans and groans filled the room, however, suddenly he began to cough and clear his throat.

She continued to suck at her own pace and looked up at him. He was still groaning; however, his eyes began to get bloodshot from trying to hold in his coughs. Eventually he couldn’t hold it in anymore and began coughing wildly and gasping for air. His hands were around his throat as he heaved and started coughing up blood. He reached for the girl’s hair to get her attention, however she grabbed his finger, and broke it immediately. His airway became too swollen and he couldn’t inhale enough air to scream out in pain.

“You’re pathetic.”, a smooth male voice said. “Not to mention, you’re disgusting. I personally have no taste for men, but if I did, certainly I could do better than you.”

It took Seungcheol a moment to realize that it was the woman speaking; not a woman, but rather, Jeonghan. At this point, Seungcheol’s shirt was stained red from the blood he had been coughing up, and he couldn’t utter a single word. He could only let out groans which caused more blood to spill out.

Jeonghan stood up, let his hair down, and began undressing. He unbuttoned his flannel, revealing a heavily padded bra which he promptly took off. He then took off the shorts, and walked towards the wardrobe in the room. “Well Seungcheol, it would appear you’ve pissed off the wrong people.”, Jeonghan conversed as he slipped on a pair of dark blue jeans and a black button-up shirt. He grabbed a duffel bag and put the wine glasses, wine bottle, and his other clothes in there. “I’m not going to worry too much about the saliva…There’s no record of me anywhere anyway.” He walked over to the bed, sat beside the dying Seungcheol and began putting on his shoes. “My lip gloss was laced with several different poisons and venoms. Cyanide, black mamba venom, nightshade, blah blah blah. Now you are probably wondering: Hey. How come you aren’t sitting here choking on your blood with your cock out too? Well, it’s because I’ve built up a serious immunity to these things. It took quite a while but here I am. You are probably not doing very well though. Your nervous system is shutting down and your throat is too swollen for you to breathe. You’ll be dead within the next minute or so.” Jeonghan finished lacing up his shoes and rested a hand on Seungcheol’s thigh. He was beginning to breathe his final breaths and letting out his last agonizing groans. Jeonghan stood up, opened the window, and looked back. “.... I’m sure I’ll be seeing you in Hell someday soon.” He jumped out quietly as Seungcheol let out his final breath, with eyes wide open and full of tears.

 

 ** _U-Kwon_** :

Yukwon parked a black van a mile outside of the estate of Sergio Pizzorno; an important figure in the Sicilian Mafia. He’d arrived in Italy a little less than three hours prior and was running on two hours of sleep. All he wanted to do was finish the job and go back to the hotel to sleep.

He pulled out his laptop and began pre-programming his detonation devices. Pizzorno was in charge of the human trafficking business that the mafia ran in Egypt. They’d kidnap migrants travelling to Italy, lock them up in dungeons and ransom their families for money or sell them in the black market as slaves. Men, women and even children.

Yukwon pulled up the case file on his computer just to make sure he got a good look at the face of the man he was there to kill. After verifying the blueprints of the estate and hacking into the security cameras surrounding the house, he made his way out of the van and began walking towards the estate.

He carefully snuck onto the grounds by taking advantage of a blind spot in the security system; somewhere the cameras couldn’t reach, and security guards were scarce. He took out his sticky bomb gun, and carefully shot three sticky bombs onto the exterior of the house. He shot them high enough that no one would be able to notice them.

He needed to plant ten bombs for his plan to succeed, two of which needed to be planted close to Pizzorno’s office, where he was currently having a video conference.

Carefully avoiding the guards and cameras, Yukwon continued planting bombs, until he covered nearly the entire perimeter of the house. Finally, it came down to his last two sticky bombs. The small thud of the bombs sticking to the wall would possibly alert Pizzorno to someone’s presence, so Yukwon needed to distract him somehow.

“Gonna need to cause a little commotion, here.”. he whispered to himself. Without hesitation, he used his modified smart watch to hack into the estate’s fire alarm system. With the single push of a button, the fire alarms began to blare loudly. All of the guards ran to one side of the house and everyone rushed to turn it off. In that moment, he shot the last two bombs, one on each corner of the office window.

“Bingo!”, he whispered loudly. He swung his bomb gun onto his back and made his way out quickly, right as the fire alarm got turned off.

He sprinted back to his van and turned his laptop on.

“It’s showtime!”, he input several commands into his computer. A few seconds later, Pizzorno’s face appeared on his screen, and Yukwon’s face appeared on the screen of every person in the video conference. Pizzorno’s face suddenly froze and twisted into an outraged frown.

“Who the fuck are you!?”

Yukwon smirked, “Hello, Mr. Pizzorno. How are you doing tonight?”

“What the fuck is this!?”

“Tsk tsk….You know, for a veteran Mafia leader, you have really shitty security protocols. I really overestimated you guys.”

Fear and panic began to fill Pizzorno’s face.

“What’s wrong? You look a little scared there. Don’t worry, all of your buddies are still on the line, I just muted them.”

“W-..What do you want?”

“Me? I don’t want anything, Mr. Pizzorno. I’m simply a man with a job to do. Really, I’m only interrupting your meeting because I wanted to tell you something. A little heart to heart, if you will. Which I almost never do.”

“…..”

“I want you to know…That you are a piece of shit human being, Mr. Pizzorno. Truly. I have no qualms about killing you and your entire god awful family. Your gold-digging wife; she’s fucking your brother by the way, your equally awful sons, and all of your pathetic little cronies. In fact, should God decide to give you a second chance for some unknown reason, I hope you’re reincarnated into a permanent skid mark on a homeless man’s tightie-whities …. Do you have any idea of who I am now, Mr. Pizzorno?”, Yukwon smiled like an excited child.

“….Oh no…You’re with _them_ , aren’t you?”

“With who? If you guess correctly, I may just spare you.”

“….Those fucking mercs!!”

“SAY THE GODDAMN NAME!!”, Yukwon yelled.

“Synaxis!”

Yukwon, laid back in his seat and grinned. “Azazel sends their regards.”

“No-!”

He pressed two buttons, and the explosion rocked the ground, even though he was a mile away. The smoke from the explosion immediately filled the air, and all of the systems in the estate were dead. The video call turned to static and car alarms began to blare all around. Yukwon put a [CD in, and drove away without looking back](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CPlF-IEkXQ).

 

 **Kyungsoo** :

Kyungsoo walked into a dollar store, which was set to close in five minutes.

“I’m here to speak to Kai about the shipment of candy bars he made.”, Kyungsoo stated to the tall man at the counter.

“He’s in the back”, the man opened up a small swinging door to let him into the back.

“Thanks!”, Kyungsoo a kind smile. His only motivation for smiling however, was the thought of throwing knives into the man’s eyes.

He reached the very back of the store, passing several larger men who eyed him on his way there.

“ _Only eight men? This is no fun at all.”_

He knocked on the door of the office and was greeted by a voice telling him to come in. At the desk, was seated a young man with olive skin and big brown eyes.

“You must be D.O.”, Kai said as he twirled a lighter in his hand.

“That’s me…. I heard from a mutual colleague that you were looking for a supplier. Well, I’ve got the highest quality product for the lowest possible price.”

“What mutual colleague is this?”. Kai scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

“Suho!”, Kyungsoo grinned.

“Suho? Well, shit, if he sent you then I have no reason to doubt you. He’s the one who got me into this business.”

“Yeah he’s a pretty…. pretty great guy.”. Kyungsoo began to get anxious as his bloodlust began to take over him.

“Did you bring a sample for me?”

Kyungsoo reached inside his leather coat and threw a brick-shaped object wrapped in a black plastic onto the table.

“Tester”, Kai motioned for his bodyguard in the room to test the product for him. The man came over to the table, and gently ripped the black plastic, revealing a brick of uncut cocaine. He set it down on the table and began cutting it. Kai was staring at Kyungsoo in the meantime, perhaps noticing how restless he was becoming. The bodyguard sniffed and snorted a little bit of the cocaine and nodded at Kai in approval. Kai then sampled it himself and threw his head back and let out a pleasured sigh.

“That’s good shit right there, man.” Kai wiped his nose and wrapped up the brick. “How much are you willing to sell me?”

“However much you want...”, Kyungsoo was becoming impatient. He was waiting for a window.

“Well….we can start out with ten slabs and go from there. We’ll sell it for a pretty penny, you get thirty or forty present depending on how well it sells and-“

Kyungsoo had tuned him out. He was staring at Kai’s hands, and how he used them as he spoke.

“ _Open your palm_ …”

Right then, as though someone had heard his prayer, Kai opened his palm as he was speaking with his hands. At that instant Kyungsoo pulled out one of his knives and threw it right through Kai’s hand and to the wall; pinning him there. Kai let out a scream, and struggled with trying to pull his hand off or letting it go.

“What the fuck!?”, Kai screamed. The bodyguard immediately stepped towards Kyungsoo but was not fast enough.

“Too slow, fatso!”, Kyungsoo pulled out another knife and threw it into the man’s eye, making him fall to the ground. Kyungsoo now had adrenaline coursing through him, and when that happened his bloodlust was nearly insatiable. He locked the door and waited for the eight men he had counted before to come rushing in.

“Help!! Help!!”, Kai struggled still.

Kyungsoo glared at him with dead eyes. “You wiggle around a little too much.” He walked up to Kai, grabbed his other hand, and pinned it against the wall as well. “Now stay still and keep quiet. I’m saving you for last.” He turned towards the door then looked back at Kai again, “Also, Suho hates you. He’s the one who hired me, actually! Isn’t that hilarious!? He seems to think you’re worth at least 1.5 million so don’t feel too bad.” He playfully slapped Kai’s face.

“Fucker…”, Kai whimpered. “I’ll pay you twice that to kill him and spare me!”

“Pfft! You act like I’m doing this for the money. I’d do this for free.99, but the Synaxis doesn’t kill for shits and giggles…Officially anyway.”

Kai let out a fearful cry, “Oh god no…No, please no.”

“Shush now. Your friends are coming in to play with me.”, he put [earbuds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjQM-AkCAo8) in and put his hands in his pockets.

Just then, four men broke through the door with bats, knives and guns. Right as they rushed into the room, Kyungsoo threw knives into two of the mens’ throats; the ones with the guns. Then he immediately rushed one of the men and kicked him in his shin, and a loud crack echoed in the room. He grabbed the knife the man was holding and jammed into the side of the man’s head, pulled it out, and slashed the other man’s throat with it.

“ _Four down, four more to go.”_

He ran out into the hallway to find the other four men who were now running towards the exit after seeing what happened in the office.

Kyungsoo guffawed and began chasing them, “You guys aren’t going anywhere!” He threw the last of his knives at the back of a man’s head, making him fall immediately. He sprinted after the next man in line and jumped on him. Once he had him on the ground, he snapped the man’s neck and continued on to his next target. As they got closer and closer to the entrance of the store, Kyungsoo was running out of time to stop them. He grabbed a plank of wood that was lying behind the cash register and slammed the seventh man’s face against the nearest wall. The eighth man was just about to put his hand on the handle to push the door open, but Kyungsoo had used his last weapon; a dart equipped with a mini bomb. Courtesy of Yukwon, of course. Once the dart penetrated the man’s neck, it immediately exploded; blowing his head off.

“Phew! That was a close one…Am I forgetting anything? I feel like I’m forgetting something.”, he took his earbuds out.

Kai’s whimpering could be heard clearly.

“Oh that’s right.” Kyungsoo casually walked back towards the back, collecting all of his knives on the way. “Hello, sunshine!”

Kai’s face twisted in fear as he saw Kyungsoo’s face covered with blood. “Please. Please don’t kill me, I’m begging you!”

“Begging doesn’t work on me, I’m afraid. And frankly, I don’t like your face. But don’t worry, I will make your death quick since I’m running low on time here.” Kyungsoo grabbed Kai’s shirt, and used it to clean off his knives. “I wanted to use two on you to make sure you died, but one of your henchman decided to cheetah his way to the door and I had to waste it.” He walked away from Kai, leaving him crucified against the wall. Right when he reached the door, he turned around and began aiming the dart. “Well, Kai. This has been very boring. Thanks for nothing, I guess. Suho sends his regards and all that cliché shit.”

Kai screamed and without another word Kyungsoo hit him right between the eyes. The small, contained explosion made little noise but sent blood scattering all over the room.

“Mission complete!”

 

 **Jaejoong** :

Jaejoong waited on the roof of an abandoned factory in the middle of the day. He could hear the sounds of sirens blaring about two miles away.

He let out a calm sigh, “It’s almost time...” he mumbled to himself. He got up and returned to the factory below. The sirens came to a stop outside of the factory. Fourteen SWAT team members stormed into the factory, followed by two detectives. It was clear the detectives were using the SWAT team without permission, since there were no police cars with them or any indication of an organized sting.

Detectives Junsu and Yoochun had been assigned to investigate the Azazel Organization, and after ten years of desperately trying to lock up any member of the family, they got a tip that there was some drug production going on in this abandoned factory. The Azazel Organization assigned Jaejoong to wipe out the detectives and whoever they brought with them, as a way to get them off the organization’s back.

Upon entering the building and seeing that it was completely barren, Junsu stomped on the ground in anger.

“Son of a bitch!!!”, he shouted.

“A false tip. I knew we should’ve investigated further before taking it as fact, Junsu. We’ve just wasted these guys’ time.”, he patted the leader of the SWAT team on the back.

“Don’t worry about it. I know you guys have been stressing about this case for a long time with no solid evidence. It was worth a look though.”, the SWAT leader responded.

“Yeah, yeah…. I guess we better start heading out of here.”, Junsu began trudging towards the exit of the factory. The door slammed down and a loud click could be heard from the other side.

“What the hell?”, Junsu bent down and put his fingers under the door to try and lift it up but to no avail. He turned to Yoochun and the SWAT team, “What’s going on? Why is it locked?”

“I don’t know”, Yoochun responded with a bewildered face. “Maybe…Maybe something got loose. It is an old building, after all.”

“Locking itself from the outside?”, the SWAT team leader muttered. “Arms up, men!” The SWAT team encircled the two detectives and pointed their guns outwards. Nothing but silence and the sound of their collective panting could be heard.

“Who’s there!?”, the SWAT team leader yelled out. He was replied with nothing but silence. Without warning, all of the lights in the factory went out. Only the sunlight shone in through certain spots.

“Ambush…”, Junsu whispered to himself. “It’s an ambush!”

One of the team members saw a shadow move a few feet away from him and began shooting in a frenzy, which caused four more of his colleagues to shoot in that direction as well. After calming down, they let silence take over the room again.

“I don’t think we got anything.”

“Stay alert, guys. We can’t let our guard do-“,  the sound of steel slicing through flesh and the thud of a body hitting the floor took the men by surprise. One of the men reached out towards the direction their leader was standing and could feel nothing but air. However, upon stepping in the direction, his foot touched the leader’s head, and he could feel the pool of blood beneath his feet. Immediately afterwards, the sound of steel against flesh surrounded the detectives, followed by the sound of thuds and silence.

“What the hell…Guys?...Guys!?”, Harper stepped forward and began feeling around for his colleagues. He couldn’t feel anything. Then he got on the ground and began feeling around. He felt blood, everywhere. “Oh god, no…Junsu, they’re dead!”

“What the fuck do you mean they’re dead? There were fourteen of them, Harper! We just spoke to them less than thirty seconds ago!”

“They’re fucking dead! We need to move towards the sunlight!” Without hesitation the men sprinted to nearest blot of sunlight in the factory.

Junsu made it to the spot first and turned towards the darkness to wait for his partner. But his partner never appeared.

“Y-Yoochun?”, a lump began to form in his throat. “Shit...”, he pulled out his gun and pointed it into the darkness. “Who are you?! What do you want!? Show yourself!” He was answered by silence.

After a few moments of Junsu pointing his gun in all directions and panting uncontrollably, Jaejoong stepped into the sunlight. Junsu immediately pointed his gun at the tall man.

“Who the fuck are you?!”

“I don’t think you really need to ask that question at this point do you, Detective Junsu?”

“You’re with Azazel aren’t you?”

Jaejoong looked at him with intense eyes, “No.”

“Who are you then?”

“I’m simply a messenger.”

“Sent to kill me?”

Jaejoong nodded lightly.

“An assassin...Please…I have a family. Yoochun had a family. All these men had family!”

“I’m truly sorry-” Jaejoong reached into his coat, and Junsu immediately pulled the trigger of his gun. Jaejoong pulled out his katana and sliced the bullet in half so fast, the only thing Junsu noticed was the spark from the lead hitting steel. The last thing Junsu saw and heard; was Jaejoong’s sword and that awful sound of steel against flesh.

 **Shownu** :

Shownu stood on the sturdy branch of a tall pine tree. In the distance he could see several people crowding around a large cabin. A very influential and corrupt cult was about to have their monthly meeting. The cult leader, Hyolyn, had an unauthorized hand in political and economic affairs. She was a Rasputin-like figure, who felt her “mystic” powers could lead the country in the right direction. Unfortunately, her interference led to a lot of problems and riots within the country. Military leaders in the country, put a bounty of 2.5 million on her head.

Shownu looked over to his right, at a bush-covered hill a few yards away from him. He could see Wonho laying on the ground, with his eye against the scope of his rifle. Shownu smiled and pulled out his walkie-talkie. “Hey.”

Wonho looked over and squinted at him condescendingly before pulling out his walkie-talkie. “What do you want?”

“Just wanted to see how you’re doing is all!”

“Is now really the time for this?”

“Well, she isn’t here yet so…Yes.”

“Well, if you must know, I’m preparing to take out our target as soon as she arrives.”

Shownu laughed and let out a sigh, “Why are you even here?”

“Because you dragged me here with you, dumbass! You tell me why I’m here!”

“Sheesh, calm down, I’m pulling your leg. I just wanted to make a bet with you is all. Normally, I do my missions alone but I figured it’s okay to have fun once in a while.”

“Okay, what kind of bet?”

“Whoever takes out Hyolyn first wins! Simple.”

“What’s the point of that? She’s your target anyway!”

“Well, Jimin was telling me about how much you disapprove of archery being used in our field.”

Wonho smiled and let his head hang down to laugh. “I swear, I can never tell that kid anything!”

“So it’s true then? You did say that?”

“Look, I never said I disapproved of it. I simply said, in comparison to sniping, it’s inferior. Which is a fact!”

“Well, I think it’s perfectly fine for people to have opinions…. Even though you’re fucking wrong! I’ve been an archer for about ten years so I can say, I can kill someone as easily as you can with that gun.”

Wonho looked at Shownu and flipped him off.

“But that’s why we’re here together. I’m giving you the chance to prove me wrong.”

“Okay, but what are we betting?”

“If I kill her by shooting an arrow through her neck, you have to grant me one wish. And it has to be whatever I want. If you win, I will quit archery and pick up sniping or whatever. Sound like a plan?”

“Whatever, Shownu.”, Wonho put his radio down and peeked through his scope again. “She’s arriving. Black Mercedes.”

Shownu looked over in the direction of the cabin and saw the black car. He grabbed his compound bow and began setting himself up to shoot.

From where they were set up, they were a little less than a quarter mile away, which really put their accuracy to the test. Shownu would have to put extra effort in pulling his drawstring to make the arrow travel farther. Wonho only needed to worry about taking into account the wind and the trajectory his bullet would take.

Both men were ready to fire at any given moment; they simply waited for the first glimpse of Hyolyn.

“Come on…Come out already.”, Shownu kept his eye focused in his scope. He had it pointed slightly above the car. Suddenly, he began to see figures moving inside of the car. He suddenly realized that Wonho is the type of sniper to wait until the person is completely out of the car to begin aiming to shoot. Shownu needed to anticipate the exact moment she would get out of the car, and attack before she could even take more than one step. He pulled his arrow back as far as his string would allow, and bit his lower lip in concentration. He focused on the shadows that he could see in the car. “She’s going to come out of the left side….” He readjusted his aim. Although only fifteen seconds had passed, it seemed like an eternity.

Finally, the driver of the car walked to the left side of the car and opened the door. He reached out his hand to help the woman out. Right as the man appeared to pull up to help her out of the car, Shownu released his arrow. It sliced through the air, travelling at over 200 miles per hour. When the woman’s neck passed the top of the car, Shownu’s arrow went straight through her neck, and the neck of the driver. Immediately afterwards, Wonho pulled his trigger and the bullet hit the woman’s head and also went through the driver’s head. Shownu had beaten Wonho by a mere second. Screams could be heard echoing from all the people who poured from the cabin to find the scene outside. Shownu grabbed his radio and looked towards Wonho, who had his head down in shame and slammed his fist against the ground.

“What was that about archery being inferior? Seems like two years of training haven’t done you any favors.”, Shownu let out a smug grin.

Wonho looked at him and put his head back down, waiting for more taunts.

“So, since I won, I guess that means you have to do whatever I want you to do.”

“What do you want?”

Shownu rubbed the antenna of the radio against his forehead as he tried to think of something. “Hmmm…. How about you invite me to dinner sometime?”

“Eat shit.”, Wonho said in seemingly serious tone. After a moment of silence, they both smiled at each other and laughed as chaos broke out in the distance.

 **Jiyong** :

“Ji, get in here!”, a woman beckoned. “We’re ready here for you!”

Jiyong was in the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror with no expression. He completely undressed himself and walked out. Waiting for him in a bedroom, was an older woman dressed in lingerie, and a naked man of the same age lying on the bed. The man lying in bed was the CEO of one of the largest banks in the world, the woman was his wife. “What do you think, honey? Isn’t he beautiful?”, the wife asked. The man nodded in agreement and scanned Jiyong’s body with his eyes.

“Blindfold him.”, Jiyong commanded. The woman draped a tie over her husband’s eyes and tied it in a knot. Jiyong walked over to the bed and began kissing the woman. He carefully entwined his tongue with hers as he ran his fingers through her hair and undressed her slowly. Once he had her undressed, Jiyong kept his lips against hers but he used his free hand to grab the man and stroke him slowly. His mouth then moved from her lips, to her neck and then down to her nipples. Moans from the couple began to fill the room. After working on the woman for a while, Jiyong pushed her away and looked at the man.

“Bend over." He grabbed the man, helped him flip over onto his stomach and made him arch his back. With an emotionless expression and tone, he made the woman put a condom on him. “Get me the gag.”

The woman obeyed and brought him a ball gag that she had in her nightstand. He pulled the man back by his hair and fastened the gag into his mouth.

“You’re gonna be a good boy and take it, right?”, Jiyong whispered into the man’s ear.

“Mmmh hmm!”, the man mumbled through the gag.

The woman got behind Jiyong and held him, caressing his chest and abs. Without warning, Jiyong slid himself into the man, who immediately began to groan and moan. He gripped the sheets as Jiyong slid himself in and out, creating his own rhythm. Jiyong looked up towards the ceiling and bit his bottom lip, his eyes still held no emotion.

“Mmmmmh! Hmm!”, the man was trying to speak.

“I think he’s gonna cum.”, the wife said as she kissed Jiyong’s shoulders. Jiyong quietly indicated to her to get something out of the pocket of his jacket which was draped onto a chair beside them. She quietly got off the bed, and reached into the pocket. She pulled out a palm-sized device with a pull string and loop made of wire. She brought it to Jiyong and he placed it beside him. He bent forward to whisper into the man’s ear. “Cum for me.” He pushed the man’s face into the bed and went deeper. After a few more seconds, the man’s legs began to shake as he was getting ready to let it out. Jiyong grabbed him by his hair again and pulled him up, took off his blindfold and looked him in the eyes. The man closed his eyes and let it out all over the sheets. Jiyong pulled himself out, grabbed the device, fastened the loop around the man’s neck and pulled the drawstring. The device began to make whirring noises, causing the wire to tighten around the man’s neck. The man put his fingers under the wire to try and pry it off. “A little gift for being a good boy.” Jiyong continued holding his head back by his hair and kissed his forehead. “I call it an Easter egg; once activated, it doesn’t stop until it slices right through your pretty little neck.” He let the man fall back onto the bed and watched him struggle against the tightening wire. The wife laughed and held Jiyong from behind again, kissing him on the cheek. The wire became so tight, it sliced through the man’s fingers and began digging into his artery, causing blood to spill out.

The wife continued to cackle until the life drained from her husband’s fear-filled eyes.

“That was great”, she wiped away tears from her eyes. “You really know how to put on a good show don’t you? …I have your money downstairs, sweetie.”, she kissed his neck.

Jiyong slowly turned his head back to look at her, and gave her a crooked smile. He grabbed her, picked her up and pinned her up against the wall by her neck. His grip became vice-like around her throat. Her legs kicked around as she tried to fight back.

“No!! Ple-“, she couldn’t speak. Jiyong’s eyes contained the same emptiness they had when he first entered the room. He felt nothing at the sound of this woman’s pleas.  

“I thought I was a vile person, but you’re just as bad as I am.”, he hissed through his teeth. “I too, have experience in betraying people who would be considered family. You’re better off dead here with the love of your life, trust me.” She stopped kicking her legs around and soon her body went limp. He dropped her and walked into the bathroom to change back into his clothes.

Before walking out of the bedroom entirely, he looked back and spotted a bottle of rum on the nightstand by the bed. He pulled out his Glock handgun and shot it, spilling the contents all over the bed and floor. He pulled out a match and cigarette. He struck the match, lit his cigarette and threw it into the puddle of rum. As the fire began to consume the room, Jiyong made his way to the office, where he found the suitcase full of money. He walked to the front door with the suitcase in his hand. He stopped in front of the mirror that was on the wall by the front door. The heat of the fire brewing upstairs began to gather downstairs and project a certain glow onto his face. He flashed himself a coy smile and calmly walked out of the house.


End file.
